A400M on its wheels
 

No wings, obviously, but wheels are a pretty good start.

Don't care about the delays and politics, there is something magical about watching a new aircraft take shape...

Now we can see what it really is...... a piggy bank.
You can see the slot in the top for putting the large amounts of cash in.

Useful trailer if you can get a couple of prime movers to haul it - replace a whole fleet of Bedfords.....

A400
 

Is it me or does it just look like a big Herc ??

I think it looks like a cross between one of those less successful alternatives to the Hercules - G222, Transall etc - and a Merlin (bear with me, it hasn't got wings yet). New, shiny, untested, could be quite good if we'd bought the optional blah blah blah...

And the first flight is next year, into service with the French in 2009, first RAF crew starting training in 2009...yeh..right!

Also, is it me or does this thing look a lot smaller than in all the lovely computer graphics?

Oh, and does anyone know if the 11,000shp engines have been run with the props on yet?

Still, at 100 million Euro each they are a bargain!:cool:

RS30 - The answer is YES. In 2006...

Hi Beags, any idea when the engines will be flight tested?

Looks similar to the C-17, planform, side view etc even the cockpit/nose area is similar.
Looks quite small in that picture though... is the fuselage longer than the C-130?

TP-400 first flight
 

TP-400 finally delivered to Marshall's - only 12 months late - now got to fit it to the Herc. testbed - first flight now tentatively due early 2008

Bloody waste of money. We should bin the A400M and used the cash saved to buy more C-17s and C-130Js, saving enough to add all the required bells and whistles for those.

A400M is being bought purely because it will help European aerospace and the capability it brings is not worth the additional support costs for a third AT type. If the Army start bitching about FRES, tell them they can stick it on a C-17.

:mad:

Absolutely and that in turn will help in keeping the “British” military aircraft industry alive- something we desperately need to do.

Why, so that they continue to churn out wonders like the MRA4? The need to earn the opportunity to be awarded contracts by producing capabilities we need, not relying on IPTs who have gone native allowing them to get away with murder.:ugh:

Pointless argument, no way out even if we wanted to. Personally I believe it will be a quality bit of kit after the teething troubles are sorted.

C17 is unaffordable in the numbers required.
C130J does not meet the required spec.

Whether we like it or not, we will get A400M and it will work. Has to, there is no other option.

SB,

I don't doubt it'll work. My point is that the cost of A400M would be better spent on additional C-17s and C-130Js so that we can have an easier to support AT fleet.

From info on t'internet
A400M Length 45.1 mtr Wing Span 42.4 mtr Height 14.7 mtr
C130J Length 29.3 mtr Wing Span 39.7 mtr Height 11.9 mtr
Certainly bigger externally.

Yep but that would require procurement decisions to be based on sound information like through life costs. Would all be a whole lot more transparent and we were grown up about it and said 'buying British/European will pump this much cash back into the economy so we can afford to pay this much more for them over an off the shelf alternative'. At least then we would all understand....

Boldface

Sorry, but I will bite….......again.

The British (and European) aircraft industries are more than capable of producing a top quality product that will sell around the world both in the civilian and military markets). This will secure jobs and expand on technology that benefits us all.

In my experience (and I have several years of working with Mod PE, DLO, DPA, etc etc) it is penny pinching, goal post changing and general interfering from non experts on 2/3 year tick in the box tours within the Mod that result in delayed, over budget and inferior products.

Boldface,

Love the C-17, but like it or not it is 2 x A400M in weight and will cost more-or-less accordingly in purchase, maint and fuel. (Although I will bet that with the dollar where it is, and the production line where it is, if you went to Boeing and said you wanted 70 of them in the next four years, they'd give them away.) 600,000 pounds does not a tactical system make.

C-130... Grandpa, you've had a long career, but it's time to step aside. The problem is box size and payload, versus the increasing weight of military equipment. MRAPs and FRES and FCS and Strkyers don't fit.

A400M will have its problems. Just give thanks this Thanksgiving day that it is an aeroplane in existence, not what the US has today - an Army-driven requirement for a 30-ton-lift VTOL (:mad: nonsense) that will soak up hundreds of millions and several years before it is scrapped.